A novel bridge between oxidative stress and immunity: the interaction between hydrogen peroxide and human leukocyte antigen G in placental trophoblasts during preeclampsia

• Published in: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2012-05, Vol.206 (5), p.447.e7-447.e16
• Main Authors: Zhou, Xue, MD, PhD, Zhang, Guo-ying, MD, Wang, Jue, MD, Lu, Shou-lian, MD, Cao, Jun, Sun, Li-zhou, MD, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Apoptosis; Biomarkers - metabolism; Blotting, Western; Case-Control Studies; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Down-Regulation; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; HLA-G Antigens - metabolism; human leukocyte antigen-G; Humans; hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Oxidative Stress; Placenta - metabolism; Pre-Eclampsia - etiology; Pre-Eclampsia - immunology; preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; siRNA; trophoblast; Trophoblasts - metabolism; Trophoblasts - physiology
• ISSN: 0002-9378; 1097-6868
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2012.03.013

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between hydrogen peroxide and human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) in preeclampsia. Study Design We explored the correlation between HLA-G and hydrogen peroxide in preeclamptic (n = 30) and normotensive (n = 30) placentas, which was confirmed by in vitro experiments. Furthermore, RNA interference was used to explore the influence of HLA-G on the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells when exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Results We found an inverse correlation between hydrogen peroxide and HLA-G expression in preeclamptic placentas. High levels of hydrogen peroxide could down-regulate HLA-G expression in HTR-8/SVneo. Compared with HLA-G knockdown HTR-8/SVneo, increased proliferation inhibition, higher apoptosis, and decreased cell invasion were found in the cell expressing HLA-G when exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Conclusion Our findings highlight that high levels of hydrogen peroxide can down-regulate HLA-G expression in trophoblasts during preeclampsia and trophoblasts expressing HLA-G are vulnerable to oxidative stress.